1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device, including such as a display device for use in a personal computer and a work station or the like, a flat type television receiver which can be hanged on a wall, and a display panel for displaying advertisement and information, etc. thereon, in particular utilizing such as a plasma display panel, and further relates to a driving method for driving such the display device.
2. Description of Prior Art
In a conventional A-C type plasma display device, in particular, in an address-display separation type, address discharges for addressing and regulating pixels (i.e., cells) to emit light are caused simultaneously on a vertical one line (for each of colors, red (R), green (G), and blue (B)), and voltage applied to an address electrode is also made constant irrespective of the difference in colors, as is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. Hei 3-90415 (1991). Further, the voltage which is applied to the address electrode in advance to the address discharge, during a reset period for initializing an electric charging condition for each of the cells, is also constant irrespective of the colors, R, G and B.
However, an appropriate voltage for the address discharge differs depending upon the kind or sort of luminescence medium, such as fluorescence material which is provided on an address electrode, or depending upon the discharge characteristic of the address electrode of the each cell including the difference of the material in the luminescence medium. Therefore, there are drawbacks that when the voltage applied to the each address electrode is made constant, a range of voltage for achieving a stable display comes to be narrow, and that the kinds of the luminescence medium of such as the fluorescence material which can be selected are restricted.
An object of the present invention is, therefore, for dissolving the drawbacks in the above-mentioned conventional art, to provide a display device and a driving method thereof, eliminating failure in discharge of the address electrode, thereby obtaining a stable display of a picture with high quality.
And, an another object, in accordance with the present invention, is to provided a display device and a driving method thereof, with which, especially circuit elements for driving electrodes of the display device can be cheaply constructed with low cost since the voltage-resistance necessary for driver elements is reduced down in sufficient and/or a voltage source is used in common in the circuitry construction thereof.
For achieving the objects mentioned in the above, according to the present invention, first of all, there is provided a display device, comprising a plurality of cells of plural kinds which are arranged on a plane for forming a display surface thereof, in which each of said cells comprising:
a pair of electrodes provided in parallel to each other;
an address electrode being positioned opposing said pair of transparent electrodes;
luminescence medium being provided on said address electrode; and
a discharge space being defined between said pair of transparent electrodes and said fluorescence medium on said address electrode, and said display device further comprising,
a driving means for applying address voltages to said address electrodes of said plural cells thereby causing charges for addressing display of said cells, wherein said driving means comprises means for applying to said address electrodes of said cells the address voltages being different depending upon discharge characteristics of said cells.
And according to the present invention, it is referable, in the display device as described in the above, that said cells are plural in kinds of the luminescence mediums provided therein, and that said address voltage applying means of said driving means apples to said address electrodes of said cells the address voltages being corresponding to discharge characteristics different depending upon the kinds of said cells.
Further, according to the present invention, it is preferable, in the display device as described in the above, that said address voltages applied from said address voltage applying means to said address electrodes are for addressing non-display of said cells instead of for addressing the display thereof, and further that said cells are in three kinds, red (R), green (G) and blue (B), or more depending upon the luminescence mediums provided therein, and further said address voltage applying means applies to at least two of them with the address voltages being different to each other.
Moreover, according to the present invention, it is preferable, in the display device as described in the above, that said luminescence medium in each of said cells is fluorescence material, and further that said address voltages applied from said address voltage applying means to said address electrodes of said cells for addressing are determined corresponding to the discharge characteristics being different depending upon of the kind of said fluorescence materials of said cells.
And also according to the present invention, it is also preferable, in the display device as described in the above, that the address voltages applied to said address electrodes of said cells for addressing are determined to be higher than break-down voltages which are inherent to said plural kinds of said cells.
Further also, according to the present invention, it is also preferable, in the display device as described in the above, that at least a part of said pair of electrodes in each of said cells are made of transparent electrodes, and said address electrode is provided in a direction orthogonal to that of said pair of transparent electrodes.
And also, moreover, according to the present invention, it is preferable, in the display device as described in the above, that each of the address voltages applied from said address voltage applying means to said address electrodes comprises an address pulse which is generated corresponding to an address period in an operation and an over-all pulse which is generated corresponding to a sustain period, and at least said address pulse is determined depending upon the discharge characteristic of said cell to be addressed.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, it is preferable, in the display device as described in the above, that said over-all pulse of the address voltage applied from said address voltage applying means to said each address electrode is determined depending upon the discharge characteristic of said cell to be addressed, or that the address voltage applied from said address voltage applying means to said each address electrode is further biased by a predetermined bias potential in period other than that where said address pulse is turned on in said address period, or that said address voltage applied from said address voltage applying means to said each address electrode further includes an address reset pulse which is generated corresponding to a rest period in advance to the address period, and said address reset pulse is also set at a voltage depending upon discharge characteristic of said cell to be addressed, thereby enabling the cost-down of the display device, in particular the circuitry construction thereof.
In addition thereto, for achieving the objects mentioned in the above, according to the present invention, there is also provided a driving method of a display device comprising a plurality of cells of plural kinds which are arranged on a plane for forming a display surface thereof, in which each of said cells comprising:
a pair of electrodes provided in parallel to each other;
an address electrode being positioned opposing said pair of transparent electrodes;
luminescence medium being provided on said address electrode; and
a discharge space being defined between said pair of transparent electrodes and said fluorescence medium on said address electrode, wherein address voltages are applied to said address electrodes of said plural cells for causing charges for addressing display of said cells, wherein the address voltages applied are different depending upon discharge characteristics of said cells.
And, according to the present invention, it is preferable, in the driving method of a display device as described in the above, that said cells are plural in kinds of the luminescence mediums provided therein, and to said address electrodes of said cells are applied with the address voltages being corresponding to discharge characteristics different depending upon the kinds of said cells.
Further, according to the present invention, it is preferable, in the display device as described in the above, that said address voltages applied are for addressing non-display of said cells instead of for addressing the display thereof, or that said cells are in three kinds, red (R), green (G) and blue (B), or more depending upon the luminescence mediums provided therein, and to at least two of them are applied with the address voltages being different to each other.
Moreover, according to the present invention, it is preferable, in the driving method of a display device as described in the above, that said luminescence medium in each of said cells is fluorescence material, and said address voltages applied from said address voltage applying means to said address electrodes of said cells for addressing are determined corresponding to the discharge characteristics being different depending upon of the kind of said fluorescence materials of said cells.
And also according to the present invention, it is preferable, in the driving method of a display device as described in the above, that the address voltages applied to said address electrodes of said cells for addressing are determined to be higher than break-down voltages which are inherent to said plural kinds of said cells.
Further also, according to the present invention, it is also preferable, in the driving method of a display device as described in claim 13, that each of the address voltages applied from said address voltage applying means to said address electrodes includes an address pulse which is generated corresponding to an address period in an operation and an over-all pulse which is generated corresponding to a sustain period, and at least said address pulse is determined depending upon the discharge characteristic of said cell to be addressed, or that said over-all pulse of the address voltage applied to said each address electrode is determined depending upon the discharge characteristic of said cell to be addressed, or that the address voltage applied to said each address electrode is further biased by a predetermined bias potential in period other than that where said address pulse is turned on in said address period, or that said address voltage applied to said each address electrode further includes an address reset pulse which is generated corresponding to a rest period in advance to the address period, and said address reset pulse is also set at a voltage depending upon discharge characteristic of said cell to be addressed, thereby enabling the cost-down of the display device, in particular the circuitry construction thereof.